Capital Equipment News October 2021

COVER STORY

Liebherr harbour mobile crane number 1 300 was shipped from Rostock, Germany to Ghana in June this year.

harbour mobile crane to be manufactured and supplied from our Rostock manufacturing plant since 2015. To date, many Liebherr harbour mobile cranes, ship-to-shore, gantry cranes and RTGs are in use in over 100 countries across the globe,” says Jankelow. Fleet expansion The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has for the past few years expanded its fleet of Liebherr harbour mobile cranes for container handling. The handover of the two LHM 550 Liebherr harbour mobile cranes to the Port of Tema marks the eighth harbour mobile crane that Liebherr-Africa has delivered to GPHA in the past six years. “We have a longstanding relationship with Liebherr. We are impressed with both Liebherr products and their service. It is not only the individual consulting but also the fast delivery that has promoted an expansion and increase of our business,” says Stephen Kwamina Owiah, port logistics manager at GPHA. With an outreach of 54 m, the LHM 550 is the perfect crane for handling containers, bulk material and general cargo. The model also does justice to heavy-duty lifting of up to 154 tonnes. One of the reasons Liebherr has been the global market leader of harbour mobile cranes for over 10 years is the commitment

Liebherr-Africa has also concluded a deal to supply two LRS 545 Liebherr reachstackers to Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) for use at the Port of Walvis Bay, Namibia’s largest commercial port. “These deals with two of the largest port authorities in Africa are testimony to our continued growth in the maritime cranes market in Africa. It also confirms the market-leading position of the Liebherr product and aftersales service in this market segment, as well as the established relationships we have built over the years,” says Jankelow. 1 300 th Liebherr harbour mobile crane The Ghana deal was a milestone for Liebherr in several aspects. Firstly, it was concluded over Microsoft Teams, from start of negotiations to signing on the dotted line, which, according to Jankelow, is unheard of, especially for a deal of this magnitude. Secondly, with the sale of the two units to GPHA, Liebherr Rostock has now manufactured and delivered 1 300 Liebherr harbour mobile cranes since 2015. “The COVID-19 outbreak showed us just how quickly things can change. One of the biggest impacts on our business was the way we work. The entire deal was negotiated and concluded on Microsoft Teams. Both parties signed on the dotted line without any need to step on a plane for a face-to-face discussion, which is traditionally how deals of this size are

concluded,” says Jankelow, adding that this is testimony to how the Liebherr- Africa team adapted to new ways of working. After long and in-depth deliberations at an executive level, Liebherr-Africa signed the contract for two LHM 550 Liebherr harbour mobile cranes with Alloud Company Limited in July 2020. Production of the cranes commenced at Liebherr-MCCtec journey aboard the heavy-lift vessel BBC- Russia from Rostock, Germany, to Ghana in June this year, and safely docked at the Port of Tema in July. The two units have been successfully handed over to GPHA’s Port of Tema, where they have been in operation for over two months, with no issues whatsoever. The Port of Tema is the largest port in Ghana. Situated on the eastern coast of the country, it stretches over a 3,9-million m² of land. The port receives an average of over 1 511 vessel calls per year. These comprise container vessels, general cargo vessels, tankers, Ro-Ro and cruise vessels, among others. About 85% of Ghana’s trade is done through the ports (Tema and Takoradi) with shipping routes and vessel calls to and from all continents through both direct and transshipment services. “A major milestone for us is that the GPHA deal marks the 1 300 th Liebherr Rostock GmbH in October last year. The cranes began their 5 500 km

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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS OCTOBER 2021